Sweden’s battery charging road goes live

A 2km stretch of road that can act as a charger for electric vehicles (EVs) has been installed outside Stockholm.

Although electric roads have been installed before in Sweden and Germany, they used a pantograph attached to the roof of the vehicle. This system operates from below, by installing a rail in the road that can be accessed by EVs fitted with a lower prong.

The arm detects the location of the rail in the road and as long as the vehicle is above the rail, the contact will be made.

The road runs between the Arlanda Cargo Terminal and the Rosersberg logistics area and will be primarily used by electric trucks.

The project was developed by the eRoadArlanda consortium, which says the project is “sustainable and cost-effective”, and be retrofitted to existing roads.

Hans Säll, eRoadArlanda consortium chairman, said: “One of the most important issues of our time is the question of how to make fossil-free road transportation a reality. We now have a solution that will make this possible, which is amazing.

“Sweden is at the cutting edge of this technology, which we now hope to introduce in other areas of the country and the world.”

The Swedish government aims to cut all fossil fuels from transport by 2030.

The Guardianreports that there are talks between Sweden and Germany about forming an electric car network.

Images courtesy of eRoadArlanda

Comments

It's just a minor variation on how trams were powered 100 years ago. No new technology here, move along.